Gilded
by macrauchenia
Summary: HighSchool!AU - Arthur, son of Uther "King Pen" Pendragon, doesn't know what to do when he realizes he's the heir to the greatest crime mob around. Nor does he know what to do when the most annoying boy with the most ridiculous ears literally runs into him. All he knows is when an ancient, rival gang wakes from its hibernation, Morgana seems way too interested in it to be normal.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Gilded  
**Rating: **T  
**Timeframe/Info About This Fic: **Definite AU; Takes place in a nameless city, and we'll have to see how realistic it is xD  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Merlin, we'd all be in trouble.  
**Authors Note: **What the heck, Mac!? Why can't you just finish one story at a time instead of starting _another_ multichap fic.  
But I've been wanting to this FOREVER. I really hope you guys like it. Basically, Uther is a mob/crime boss, Arthur is his naive son, and we'll definitely see a pale, sticky-outy-earred warlock soon :D I know some people have already tried this AUish idea, but my fic won't be romantic. Just action!

* * *

The night was silent; the air was still. Not a soul dared to breathe, for if they did draw in a breath, it would shatter the fragile illusion. The illusion of a calm and empty night.

All of a sudden, flares burst into life, beating away the black night with their bright flames. Then the light beams hit the eyes of the concealed army. Brilliant golden irises bounced back at the torchbearers, giving away their secret weapon. Shouts erupted from the surprised party, and a few of their precious lights were extinguished in their panicked struggle to defend themselves. Instead of drawing blows, the golden eyed people shied away from the light. Though the torchbearers didn't know this, they clearly out numbed them with three to one odds.

Uther had a decision to make. He knew his people had to fight against these golden eyed enemies, but he wasn't feeling confident. Someone next to him, most likely someone who had freshly joined their gang, held up a gun in his shaking hands. Uther smacked it down immediately.

"No guns," he hissed, trying not to give the enemy any ideas.

"But _Ki-ing_?" The kid whined. He was obviously a new recruit.

"If gunshots are heard, you know what'll happen. You know who'll come."

The younger hesitated and slowly lowered his gun. Uther's little reminder only caused his hands to shake more. "W-what're we gunna do then, King?"

Uther was silent for a moment, considering his options and the consequences. The torch he was holding casted strange ripples of light and dark across his face, making him look almost like one of the things they were hunting. Finally, he decided on his next order.

"Drive 'em off. If one falls back," he locked gazes with the younger man standing beside him, "you know what to do."

The kid quickly lowered his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he murmured. He tucked his gun away and picked up a metal pipe resting by his feet. Raising it, he let out a loud shout and took a jerking step towards the golden eyed people. Uther's other men, seeing the kid's action and the King's agreeing nod, each found their own silent weapon and charged the concealed crowd. Terrified screams erupted from the shadows as the hunted fled for their lives. Uther could see the large, dark forms as they surged away from the torchbearers, some tripping and falling in the mad dash to escape.

Then the hair on the back of Uther's neck started to prickle. He knew the tables were about to turn.

A few of the golden eyed people didn't run. Instead they stood firm beside one another. In the dimming light of the flares, their irises began to glow at such a fierce brightness that Uther thought their eyes would simply burn up in their sockets. Suddenly, heavy things began to fall from the sky with no warning. Uther cursed his stupidity. They had cornered the enemy at an abandoned construction site. Huge pieces of metal shards and rusted machines lazily twisted on corroded ropes above them. It was too dark to see where exactly they were swinging, and the torches were too faint by then to illuminate the rest of the construction field to see the damage done. They literally were waiting for the sky to drop on them with no warning.

The only warning that Uther got before he would have been crushed by a lofty concrete mixer was the light dusting of smashed powder on his upturned face. He dove immediately to the side, seconds before the heavy object smashed into the pavement, throwing concrete, metal, and asphalt into the air. The shards cut him, and one of the wheels caught his shoulder badly, but he was just relieved to be alive. Holding his injured shoulder, he spun around to glare at the remaining enemies.

After the concrete mixer failed to crush the King, many of them had fled. Uther lunged at one set of glowing eyes with a savage growl, and they darted back quickly, disappearing before he had time to prepare another strike. He glanced around and wasn't surprised to see the members of his gang as the only ones left in the abandoned construction field. He also wasn't surprised to see any captured enemies among his men. _Those cowards are good at running away. _

However, he was surprised to hear the scream of a woman. Striding quickly to the sound, he found several of his men, the young kid included, circled around a frightened woman about his age. She covered her face with shaking hands as Uther approached.

"Look atchu, coward," the young man sneered, kicking at her halfheartedly. Somehow he was able to feel more of a man when he was tormenting the poor woman. The others jeered at the captive, one even catching her across the shoulder with his metal pipe. The woman didn't scream, but Uther could hear her hitched breathing, and knew she wasn't far from tears.

"What have we got here?" He tried to force his voice back to an even note. He knew the golden eyed people allowed women into their main ranks, but he never had seen one on the front line before.

"She's one of 'em" the younger sniggered, apparently believing himself to be "tight" with the King because he had spoken with him once. "But they din't come back for her. Too 'fraid to," he laughed harshly, and the others soon joined in.

Uther stepped closer to the woman, trying to force his natural protective instinct away. _She _was the enemy. He raised his flare, trying to see her face. "Lower your hands," he demanded.

Slowly the woman obeyed, dropping her trembling hands. Her face was dirty with tear streaks that crisscrossed under her eyes. Uther raised the flame a little bit higher, checking the color of her eyes. Instead of the brilliant gold to be reflected back to him, he met a watery gray. Anger surged within the King. _She's not even a GoldEye. _

"What's wrong with you?" He snarled, grabbing the collar of the kid. "She's not a GoldEye!" He shouted into the younger's face.

The kid swallowed, looking perfectly petrified, but somehow he was able to choke out an excuse. "She was wearing this," he stuttered, holding something up in the air. A golden chain and pendant twisted lazily in the air, throwing golden flashes on the thin faces of the men around him. On the chain was a beautiful, gilded ring. The edges were slightly bent so the ring had a more elliptical shape. The silhouette of a golden eye. He glanced back at the woman. The suddenly fierce look in her grayish blue eyes was betrayed by her trembling lip. She may not have had the telltale trademark eyes of the GoldEyes, but she was a part of them.

Uther released his grip on the collar of the kid after giving him one last shake. He grabbed the incriminating necklace and tucked into one of his pockets. He nodded at them and turned away from the woman.

"Please!" The captured woman spoke for the first time. "Let me go! I have a son." Uther paused, but he refused to turn back around. "I'm the only one left to take care of him," she begged, her voice choking with tears. "_Please!"_ Uther bit his lip, and he nearly turned back around to pardon the woman. However, if he showed mercy to the woman, his gang would rebel against him. He couldn't risk it, not when he had just recently clawed his way to the top. "Please," she was bordering on tears now. "Let me go back to my Emrys."

Uther swallowed thickly. _She just had to name the child. _Taking a shuddering breath, though hiding it from his curious men, he opened his mouth.

"Please…"

"You know what to do." Uther walked away without another word.

* * *

Uther was attacked the moment he stepped foot in his home.

"Daddy!" The delighted scream of a four year old assaulted his ears as a light weight smashed into his knees. Uther felt the grim weight of the night's events slip away as he bent down to pick up his son.

"Arthur," a smile replaced the gaunt frown on the King's face. "Have you been nice to Morgana?" He raised an eyebrow at his son, who squirmed slightly in his arms. A light scuffling sounded above him, and Uther looked up to see his adoptive daughter peering down at him from in between two slats in the grand staircase with her wide eyes.

"Morgana," Uther's smile grew as he looked at the young girl. _She's almost six now,_ he thought after a moment of incredulous shock. That'd mean he had had her under his care for almost a year.

"Are they gone?" Morgana's light whisper barely carried from her spot on the balcony. "The GoldEyes?"

Arthur twisted sharply in Uther's arms, half enjoying himself greatly, half pretending that it was beneath his dignity to be held. "Gone! No more GoldEyes!"

Uther drew his son closer to him, despite Arthur's now real protesting squirms. He briefly remembered the woman, begging to be spared so she could care for her son. Uther quickly banished that memory from his mind. _No doubt she was lying to try to save herself. They're all cowards._

After Arthur poked him rather roughly in the face, Uther realized that he had yet to answer their question. He looked from the timid Morgana to the chubby Arthur.

"They're gone."

* * *

Uther never could have imagined that he was right when he had said that the GoldEyes were history. That night had taken a much larger toll on the smaller group than Uther had realized. Since that fateful confrontation, the GoldEyes remained as elusive as something could be, and many even questioned if they even existed anymore. Uther knew they did; they just kept themselves hidden and assimilated themselves with the very same people who had tried to drive them out of existence. But Uther knew they would be smart enough to stay alive. Smart enough to eventually rise up again.

That night had other consequences as well. The group that Uther was afraid of attracting with gunshots in the dark never reared its ugly head again. The Dragons, with badges of black and emerald, were once a formidable enemy of the King's gang, but with the dissolution of the GoldEyes, they too fell apart. However, this time, Uther knew the Dragons were permanently out of the count. Two weeks after the GoldEyes' last stand, one of Uther's lieutenants found the bodies of dozens of Dragons all gathered around a huge, rusted pot. When the officials came to yellow tape the scene off, they announced, much to the surprise of everyone, that the death of the Dragon gang was self-inflicted—they had overdosed themselves. No foul play was suspected. In the short span of two weeks, the King had all of his rivals destroyed with no casualties to him.

For thirteen years, Uther and his fellow Knights enjoyed being the only organized group in the entire Five Kingdoms Block, named after the once five powerful gangs who clashed for dominance there—the Knights, the GoldEyes, the Dragons, the Lords, and the Rooks. Once the Dragons and the GoldEyes fell to the Knights, the other two gangs were quick to submit their loyalty to "King Pen" Uther, sniveling their way to survival.

Buying into a dying gambling chain called "Camelot," Uther tried to adopt the illusion of "going straight" only to keep his children in the dark about his dark dealings. However, he was just as corrupted as he dealt and haggled with other mob bosses throughout the area for more power. His cover worked for a time though, especially fooling his son Arthur into thinking his father was an honest man.

For thirteen years, the Knights grew soft with their success and riches.

The GoldEyes prepared to strike.

* * *

**Thank you for reading my prologue to Gilded (are ya seein' a trend in the titles yet...?)  
Please let me know how you guys feel about this. I really want to write more...but only if you want me too ;D  
**


	2. Chapter One

**Title:** Gilded  
**Rating: **T  
**Timeframe/Info About This Fic: **Definite AU; Takes place in a nameless city, and we'll have to see how realistic it is xD  
**Disclaimer:** BBC owns Merlin. This is only a way to express my love for a certain pale warlock, creatively with no profit.  
**Authors Note: **Haha! Chapter one! Prepared yourselves for poential OOCness due to the fact that I have no idea how to write these guys modernly. Thanks to **Darkmiror** and **Merthurfan1** for leaving such awesome reviews :D I promise to update Targeted and Stoned soon (probably one of them by Sunday) and I might have another multi chap story up by next week. Arrghhh! I know... But guys... I can't stop all these ideas o.O

* * *

"Name?"

"Um, Merlin…?"

"_Last _name."

The boy glanced away self-consciously, looking anywhere but the plump secretary in front of him. She glanced over her horn-rimmed spectacles, taking the entire boy in with one wide sweep of her gaze.

"Your last name, dear. What is it?"

Merlin chewed the corner of his lip, trying to decide which of the many names he should use. "Well, uh, I guess it would be Morgan."

One of the secretary's thin eyebrows rose. How on earth this child was able to enroll in high school when he didn't know his last name was beyond her. "Was it that hard of a question, hun?"

The pale teenager gave her a wry expression. "It's complicated."

The secretary dug through her files for the new students, successfully finding one labeled with Morgan, Merlin. Although it really wasn't any of her business, she flipped it open, scanning a few lines in the boy's strangely thin file. One of the only papers she could find in the manila folder was a long sheet from his case worker.

_Merlin has traveled to many foster homes, five in the past year._

The lady looked back up, scrutinizing the boy again. Merlin was standing perfectly still, studying the dust particles floating around his shoes with extreme interest. He looked anything but a menace to society, and he certainly did not look like someone who needed a case worker. She wanted to ask why he had "traveled" around so often, but already she knew she was invading his privacy. However, this did not stop her from returning to his case worker's report.

_He is neither a violent nor aggressive boy. However, his foster parents all list complaints of the same thing. They claim the boy is cursed, and yet they cannot come up with proof. _

_What does _that_ mean?_ The secretary, who was quite a superstitious lady, quickly slammed the folder shut, and pushed it away. "Yes, Merlin, all of your papers seem to be in order."

The boy watched her, a faintly confused expression on his face. The secretary had only asked him for his name, and the file that she had read had only be his foster folder—something that Merlin was very well acquainted with. Even though he hadn't given the appearance of paying attention, the boy had watched everything with a close eye. The prying woman in front of him never ever touched a paper that mentioned his new school.

"I had to check to make sure you were you," the secretary added unhelpfully. He nodded slowly as a handbook and a schedule was thrust at him. Fumbling to catch them without spilling everything else he was carrying, he thanked the secretary for her time, and backed out of the office. He stood, completely dumbstruck in the empty hallway, wondering just what he was supposed to do next or where he was supposed to go.

Just then, the bells from homeroom exploded around him, dragging him from his dazed thoughts and throwing him mercilessly back into reality. The boy jumped, pressing himself against the walls as students poured from the open classrooms and milled through the tight corridor. It wasn't as if Merlin had never been in a high school before, but the loud shouting and the overpowering scent of cologne and perfume would always catch him off guard the first time, every time.

"Get out of my way," a blonde snarled as he pushed himself by the boy. Merlin hit the back of his head against a locker in the rush to get away from the thick boy who had taken up most of the hall with his equally thick entourage. All of them were wearing the same red and gold jackets with tiny emblems on the upper chest pocket. Merlin couldn't see what they were, but he had a feeling the little insignia was for the school, and the boys who had walked by were members of his new school's football team.

_The royalty of the school_, Merlin sighed. He knew enough about high schools to typecast. More complaints and conversations filled the hallway. The boy strained to hear just a few of them.

_"…and it only cost me $303…"_

_ "…if he wasn't such a complete ass…"_

_ "…how'd you do on Mr. G's elements test…"_

Soon the bits and snatches of chatter became too much for the boy, each new piece of gossip causing his head to spin. He waited for the chaotic din of the hallway to settle down before glancing at his new schedule. _Now would be…_ he paused, _second period…? _Glancing from the electronic clock above him and back down to the schedule in his pale hands, he nodded.

_Chemistry, with Mr. Gaius._ Merlin pursed his lips together. _Is it possible that "Mr. G" is Mr. Gaius? _Merlin shrugged.

_I don't know why they put me in Chemistry. I've already taken it._ Again the boy shrugged. _What does it matter?_ He asked himself. _I'll just have an easy science class this year. _He looked back at the number, thankfully assuming that it was a ground floor class. Tucking the schedule back in his bag so to not look like a completely new student, he set off towards Room 101 with a prepared-for-anything smile.

* * *

It turned out that Room 101 was most definitely _not_ a ground floor room. And it wasn't easy to find either. After running into two people in the hall—a boy with quite a good bit of hair already, who pointed him in the direction of the janitor's closet, and a dark skinned girl with a warm smile, who actually gave him the right directions—Merlin finally made it to Mr. Gaius's _third_ floor room, forty-five minutes late to second period. He burst into the room, panting slightly.

For a moment, the classroom was completely silent. Then a few snickers echoed around the room, causing Merlin's wide ears to burn furiously. The loudest guffaws were coming from the boy who had given Merlin the bad directions fifteen minutes earlier.

The teacher at the front of the classroom blinked when Merlin burst into his room. "Excuse me…?"

"Sorry…" he murmured. "I'm new…" He shuffled towards the teacher, keeping his head down. Because he was focusing so closely on his feet, he jarred his hip against one of the island lab tables, sending it skidding a few inches across the floor. The table's occupant, a gorgeous blonde girl, narrowed her heavily made-up eyes at the boy.

"Watch it, you klutz," she hissed.

More laughs, louder this time, sounded. Merlin's entire face flushed a violent shade of red, and all he wanted to do was crawl into a cave and hide. He all but threw his paper at Mr. Gaius, still refusing to look up at the teacher. He assumed the adult got the paper, since it left his hand and didn't hit the floor, which Merlin was scrutinizing with care.

"Well, Mr. Merlin, second period started forty-five minutes ago. You're a bit late."

Merlin peeked quickly at the teacher, waiting for the next part of the man's speech. The man himself looked kind, almost what Merlin would expect his grandfather to look like, if he knew who his grandfather was. The teacher was older, with long gray hair wrapped up in a medium length ponytail and tossed behind his head. The chemistry teacher was wearing a dark lab coat, even though no science equipment was spread out anywhere in the room. Instead of continuing, the teacher watched the boy with crinkled eyes. Merlin assumed it was his time to talk then. Rather, make excuses for being so late.

"I'm really sorry, but I couldn't find your classroom. I promise I wo—"

"It's okay, Merlin," Mr. Gaius interrupted him, raising a gentle hand to slow the boy down in his ramblings before he hurt himself. Merlin clamped his lips closed. "Why don't you just take a seat, and we'll discuss your detention later." The boy's heart sank.

_He's giving me detention? That's not fair!_

Mr. Gaius glanced around his classroom at the gleeful faces smirking at the devastated boy. "And if anyone laughs, he or she can join Merlin in detention _and_ give him a tour of the school," he added loudly. Instantly the giggling died down, and Merlin was allowed to retreat to the back of the classroom. He didn't even get the chance to sit down at the only empty table when the bell rang again. As the students all stood back up, the old teacher made his way lazily to his wooden desk.

Merlin walked glumly back to the front of the room as the students filtered from the classroom. A few remained to see the new boy's punishment, including the boy who had gotten him in trouble, but most left as soon as possible, the embarrassment of Merlin completely slipping from their minds.

Merlin stood in front of Mr. Gaius's desk, waiting in agonizing silence for his sentence to be given. Finally, when he was worried that he would be late for his _next_ class, Mr. Gaius looked up.

"I'm sorry about giving you detention," the man apologized. Merlin blinked; this clearly wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He couldn't quite decide if the man in front of him was evil, kind, or insane. "But I do have a strict tardiness policy, and I can't make exceptions." He noticed Merlin's wordless expression of protest. "Even if they are lost, new students." He gave the boy a thin smile.

"I still have to serve a detention then…?"

"It won't be bad; I promise you that, Merlin." His smile broadened. "Just come by after school and I'll tell you what to do." The boy nodded slowly, still unsure of himself at this strange new school. He turned to leave when Mr. Gaius called him back.

"Merlin?"

Merlin turned back around to see the teacher scribbling a note onto a small post it note. _Is this the detention slip…? _At one of his old schools, he had to get his guardian to sign each note, which unfortunately was often, although he was never _truly _guilty. Mr. Gaius handed the scrap of paper with an illegible scribble on it. Merlin peered down at it, trying to decipher what the chicken scratch meant. It made the boy internally chuckle to notice that the post it note was in the shape of a half filled beaker.

"It's a pass to make sure you aren't late to third period," Mr. Gaius explained with a secretive smile. "You might build a bad reputation if you're always in detention, Merlin."

_Yeah…a bad reputation._ Merlin thanked the old man and hurried quickly from the classroom—running straight into the boy who had started all of the trouble in the first place.

The young man pulled himself away from the wall with a sigh where he had been leaning lazily against it. He tried to block Merlin's path, but the younger boy darted sharply around him. The troublemaker reached out to grab Merlin's arm, but the boy pulled away.

"Hold on, mate," the older boy was having a hard time trying not to laugh.

'"I need to get to class," Merlin muttered under his breath, trying to sound like a person who had been moved to various foster homes, like he had.

"Hey, I'm sorry about getting you in to trouble with Mr. G." the boy said suddenly. Merlin paused and looked back at the boy.

_I already have a tardy note. I guess I can talk for a little bit. _"Yeah?"

"Well, not really," the boy grinned. "I love messing with the new kids."

Merlin gave the dark haired boy a glare and turned back around, already wondering where his next class would be.

"Alright, I really am _sorry,"_ he said again, this time sounding a bit more sincere. Merlin stopped again, sighing loudly, and turned back around. The boy stuck out his hand. "I'm Gwaine."

"Merlin," he responded, shaking the boy's hand quickly then dropping it.

Gwaine was about to say something, but he glanced up at the clock above them and grinned. "See you around, mate. I gotta go. Unlike you, I actually have a life afterschool that doesn't involve cleaning Mr. Gaius's leech tank." The boy disappeared with a laugh down the hall, leaving a frowning Merlin behind.

_Leech tank…?_

* * *

The rest of Merlin's day went on without any great happenings. He learned very little about this new place he was staying in, and yet he learned a great deal about the people. For example, the blonde girl who had hissed at Merlin was named Vivian, and she was perhaps the best equivalent to the modern day _witch_ Merlin could come up with. He also learned that the high school he attended was called Camelot High, named after some famous corporation that basically built and funded the school. However, he could not find out what the namesake corporation _did._ He also found out that the mascot of the school was a knight, again, completely flabbergasted as to where _that_ came from. He didn't dare to ask questions, instead preferring to stay silent and away from the center of attention.

When the last bell rang and the students all but ran out the door with shouts and laughs, Merlin was painfully reminded by Gwaine—who had been following him periodically throughout the day—that he had a detention to attend. Trudging as reluctantly as he could, yet still fast enough so he wouldn't be late to detention as well, Merlin soon was standing in front of Mr. Gaius's elusive door. He reached for the door knob and was about to open the door, when it suddenly swung in on him.

"Goodbye, Gaius," a young woman, a few years older than Merlin, called as she rushed out the door. She nearly ran the thin boy in front of her over. Instead of apologizing though, she tightened the shoulder strap to her bag, stared at Merlin for a brief second, and then went on her way. Merlin watched, slightly hypnotized, as her dark curls bounced with each step.

Tearing his gaze away from the ivory skinned girl, Merlin tentatively entered the room through the now open door. He glanced around, and much to his dismay observed a previously unnoticed leech tank in the corner of the room that looked as if it were in great need of cleaning. Gwaine's warning echoed through his mind.

"I'm here, Mr. Gaius," Merlin started unhelpfully. The old man looked up from the papers spanned across his desk.

"Are you ready to start?" He smiled at the boy.

Merlin swallowed thickly. "To clean the leech tank?"

Mr. Gaius frowned, looking severely confused. "What? No!" Then the teacher looked thoughtful. Seldom did students offer to clean the tank, and it was quite dirty. "Unless, of course, you would li—"

"I'm fine," Merlin hastily interrupted. _Gwaine! I will never listen to him again._ He took a step closer to Mr. Gaius, subtly straining to see what the old man was doing. "What am I going to be doing then?" He was infinitely more relieved to know that he wasn't going to be dealing with vicious blood suckers anymore.

Mr. Gaius pushed himself up from his desk with a gusty sigh. "You're going to learn what you missed while on your little 'tour' of the school."

Merlin smiled a bit more brightly. "That's not too bad then."

The teacher rolled his eyes as if to say "I told you so." He picked up a work sheet that had been set aside and placed it in front of the now seated boy. Instantly the young man began to solve the problems on the sheet without hesitation. Mr. Gaius blinked, watching as the boy effortlessly finished the sheet within minutes.

"That _was_ going to be the homework," he said after a moment of thought. "I was supposed to teach you how to do it."

Merlin glanced back down at the work. "Oh. I'm sorry… I just thought th—"

"You already know how to do this stuff?"

The boy paused then nodded slowly. "I've already taken a class of chemistry before. I don't know why they're making me retake the class again."

Mr. Gaius was still a bit suspicious. He pointed to one of the later problems. "For this one, you would have needed the periodic table."

Merlin shrugged sheepishly. "I, um, liked chemistry. A lot. I've practically memorized a few of the elements because I used them a lot."

The older man scanned the page with an approving nod. "Very impressive, Merlin. I doubt there will be much I could teach you this year. Maybe you can work with Miss Pendragon instead?"

"Who?"

"Miss Pendragon is my student teacher this year."

Merlin nodded slowly again, wondering if Miss Pendragon was the young woman who had nearly run him over.

Mr. Gaius smiled one more time at the paper. "I guess there's nothing more for me to teach you today."

"So what do I do now until my detention is over?"

"Unless you want to clean the leech tank," Merlin shook his head furiously. "No? Then I guess your sentence has been served."

"Really? That's it?"

Mr. Gaius pointed to the corner which held the leech tank. "The brushes are over there if you don't think you were punished enough."

Merlin quickly thanked the teacher for being so generous, declined the open invitation to clean the tank one last time, and left with a happy wave.

Luckily his new home wasn't very far from the school. He would be able to walk home—which was a good thing because he didn't have a phone to call for a ride, and he didn't want to have to explain how he got detention on his first day of school. If his foster parents asked why he was late, then he'd make up some lie about meeting friends.

_I mean, I have to have made at least one friend today…_

* * *

**Ack, sorry no direct Merlin and Arthur contact. That will be next chapter, I promise :D See if you guys can count all of the show references. I put at least ten in here xD  
Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** BBC owns Merlin. This is only a way to express my love for a certain pale warlock, creatively with no profit.  
**Authors Note: **Thank you so much to everyone who had reviewed or favorited or followed this! :D (Also, thanks to Guest and HooksandStrings, who reviewed annonymously, and I couldn't thank them personally)  
Prepare for som Pratty Arthur!

* * *

"Get open! I _said,_ GET OPEN!"

The shouts assaulted Merlin's ears, dragging him out of his relieved thoughts of what he _wasn't_ doing at that moment. Such as cleaning the leech tank. Apparently he had left Mr. Gaius's room just as football practice had started. Pursing his lips, Merlin tried to walk a little bit faster, caring little for the "sport of royals" as it had been dubbed.

"Stop! How many times to do I have to tell you—"

Despite himself, the pale boy glanced over at the field, curious to see who was having the temper tantrum. He wasn't exactly surprised to see it was the blonde boy from many of his classes who was the culprit of the screaming. His first meeting with the boy resulted in Merlin taking a bite from the lockers, although the blonde likely had no idea that Merlin existed. Unluckily for Merlin, the blonde had been in quite a few of Merlin's classes, including Chemistry _and_ English.

"If you do that one more time—"

Merlin didn't care enough to find out the boy's name. Whoever it was, the pale boy figured he didn't want _him_ for a friend. At the moment, the blonde had hoisted whoever he was speaking to by the face mask and was currently screaming in his face about bad blocking. Merlin, perhaps the least informed person in history when it came to football, frowned, still figuring out that whatever the blonde was doing, it wasn't part of "playing nice." Instead of continuing on his way back to his foster home like he had planned, Merlin decided to stick around a bit longer just to see how this arrogant boy worked. He pressed against the cool stone of the bleachers, hiding himself from view in a dark shadow.

"I will personally see to it that Coach throws you off the team! Do I make myself clear?" Not waiting for an answer, the blonde finished his rant, shoving the captured player's facemask away from him, and refusing to help the other boy back up when he tottered to the ground. Merlin's shoulders tensed in anger, wondering how a boy could be so cruel to his fellow teammates.

Spinning around, the boy landed a narrow blue eye on the shadow where Merlin was hiding. "You!" Merlin froze, feeling the adrenaline kick in for fight or flight. He was about to do one of the two when a thin boy about his age scurried from the shadows. A ratty, white towel hung from his shoulders, and he was carrying a tray of water.

"Yes, Arthur?"

_Arthur? That's his name?_

"Go get my helmet," the boy snapped, pointing all the way down the field.

The boy gulped. "Down there?"

"_Yes, _down there. Go. Get. It."

Not wanting to risk the wrath of Arthur, the boy scuttled down to where the helmet was resting.

Glancing back and forth between his fellow Knights, Arthur grinned. "Do you know that at the last game, he gave me _warm_ water? I don't think that's right." Most of Arthur's fellow teammates laughed roughly with him, either finding it actually funny, or scared to have the blonde turn on them too. A few, who were standing a bit off from the main group, didn't laugh, but neither did they stop the blonde from what he was about to do. Picking up a football from the slightly wet grass, Arthur weighed it in his hands by tossing it lightly in the air, and then catching it on his palm. Curling his fingers around the white lace of the ball, he tipped it behind his head and shoulder, and then launched it in a perfect spiral with a slight grunt. The ball flew from his hand, whizzing as it cut through the air as sharply as a missile. It hovered in the air for a moment, before dropping. It screamed as it dove towards the unsuspecting boy, nailing him right in between the shoulder blades. With a shocked and pained cry, the boy stumbled, and then tripped, skidding along the slightly dewy grass for a moment before coming to a stop. Laughter rippled through the crowd of football players, a few even congratulating Arthur on his "good aim." Merlin felt the anger surge stronger through him.

Arthur was already readying another football to throw at the poor boy, who was struggling to his feet. This time, when Arthur threw it, he didn't aim for the boy, but the grass directly next to him. However, it still had a powerful effect on the frightened young man, who shrieked and fell back down again as the football drove a hole into the soft earth a few inches from his foot.

Merlin had had enough of Arthur torturing the young man. Glaring at the blonde in front of him, the pale boy patched together just what he was going to say. The moment he opened his mouth, there was a _sperlsh_ and suddenly he felt his shoe get wet. Glancing down, Merlin gapped as he noticed somehow the tray of water that the boy had been carrying had somehow tipped, and now all of the water was creeping conveniently into Merlin's ratty gym shoe.

_Great. I must have kicked it by accident. _

The sound of the tray toppled caused Arthur to jerk his attention over to Merlin with tense shoulders. When he noticed it was just a pale boy watching them, the football player visibly relaxed. Merlin wondered briefly who could possibly make the arrogant and cruel boy so anxious.

"Who are you?"

Merlin stepped from the shadows, glancing back over at the water boy, who had returned with Arthur's helmet. "What are you doing?"

Arthur raised a blonde eyebrow, clearly not used to people demanding things from him. "I said, who are you?"

"And I asked, what are you doing?"

A soft hush settled among the Knights, who watched the unfolding drama with silent stares. A single thought seemed to be rushing through their heads like a combined thought. _Who is this kid? Does he know who he's talking to?_

Forcing a cheerful expression on his face, Arthur smiled a dangerous smile at the boy. "Very well, it's not like I actually care about who you are." He carried on, feeling a bit disappointed when the pale boy did not look particularly broken up to hear Arthur's opinion on him. "As to what I was doing, I was doing some 'target practice.' I need to work on my aim," he added with a dark grin.

"What you probably need to work on is your manners," Merlin replied with a relatively bored expression.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" The pale boy shrugged, and Arthur laughed once, a short, incredulous bark. "I didn't know they let middle-schoolers on the field during our practice."

"What?"

"That'd be the only way to explain your stupid words. If you didn't go to this school."

Merlin blinked, trying to understand if the boy was being serious. _I'm in _several_ of his classes. I know I'm new, but is he so conceited that he doesn't acknowledge anyone else around him?_ "I go to this school…"

"Really?" Arthur started to circle around the pale boy, eying him like wounded prey. "You seem much too small."

Merlin clamped his lips together so tightly where they turned a pale peach. "I skipped a grade."

This seemed to surprise the blonde greatly. "Why'd they let you skip if you're so much of an _idiot?_"

One of Merlin's dark eyebrows darted up to his equally dark hair. "And how many grades have you failed? You seem a far greater idiot than me."

Arthur growled slightly under his breath. "You're lucky you didn't give me your name, because after this I won't be able to find you again."

"Merlin."

This cause the boy by surprise. "What?"

"My name is Merlin." He stared bravely up at the taller boy, as if daring him to make good on his threat.

"That's a stupid name," Arthur sneered. He glanced up and down at the boy, taking every wrinkle of clothing and every patched tear with narrowed eyes. "It suits you." The deathly silent Knights suddenly broke into loud guffaws. Merlin's ears burned slightly as he forced himself to not look at the earth. He gazed beyond Arthur, staring blankly over Arthur's padded shoulder.

"Did you say something?"

Finally having enough of this insolent boy, Arthur raised a fist to strike him. Either he was insanely steel-nerved, or he didn't see it coming, but either way, Merlin didn't flinch away when Arthur's fist came flying through the air. It collided with the boy's left side of his face, causing the nose to crunch slightly and a sharp cry to be ripped from the younger boy's lips. The boy wobbled slightly before falling to his knees. Blood tricked from his nose, and the boy was trying furiously to not let his eyes water too badly in front of the roaring football players.

Smirking at his handiwork, Arthur brushed off his knuckle with a gloating look at the downed Merlin. "Let that be a lesson to _you_, _Mer_lin, to know your place before you open your big mouth." The boy refused to look up, staring with blurred vision at the slightly blood splattered grass. Sensing that he wasn't going to get any more of a reaction from the pale boy, Arthur turned back to his chuckling teammates with a grin on his face.

"All right. That was enough fun. Practice's over—be ready for the game tomorrow." With a curt nod, he dismissed his men from the playing field. They left in groups of two or more, chattering excitedly, completely forgetting about the sniffling boy still on the ground. Even Arthur gave little more than a backward glance as he headed back to wherever he had come from.

When Merlin thought they had left, someone cleared their throat behind him. The boy looked up warily to see one last remaining football player standing on the field. Already one of his eyes was now starting to swell painfully. Merlin observed the boy with his good eye. He looked older than Arthur, with dark blonde, curly hair that hung to his shoulders. He stepped towards the boy, which caused Merlin to shift back reactively.

"I'm sorry about Arthur," the Knight started uncertainly. "He's been under a lot of stress lately. What with his father, and the game tomorrow, and Morga—"

"I don't really care," Merlin stated. He started to get up, when the remaining football player rushed to his side to help him. Offering his outstretched hand, Merlin took it with a thankful smile, and pulled himself to his feet. "Thanks."

"Again, I'm really sor—"

Merlin held up a hand to cut the older boy off. "I don't really care," he repeated. He rubbed gingerly at the pink skin below his nostril, grimacing when his hand came back dyed with a slightly crusty crimson. "I'm just going to, ah, go." He turned to go, when the older man grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from leaving.

"Wait."

Merlin tensed up slightly. "Yes?"

"This is partially my fault for not stopping Arthur—let me at least help you get cleaned up. I'll take you to someone in the school."

"Like a school nurse?"

The older blonde had an odd smile pulling on his lips. "Yeah, something like that." The two walked back to the school in a comfortable silence.

"I'm Merlin," the pale boy suddenly quipped.

"I know," the footballer replied with an amused smile. "You told us that." After a moment, he offered his own name. "I'm Sirville," he made a face at the name, "but _please_ call me Leon. I don't know what would possess a parent to name their child _Sirville_."

"The same one who would call their child _Merlin?_" The pale boy offered with a grin. Suddenly, the topics of parents sobered Merlin. Leon seemed to understand that silence was the preferred conversation and remained speechless as they walked down the halls of Camelot High. Merlin frowned when he actually recognized the dank hallway. There was only one room down this corner of the building.

"This is where Mr. Gaius teaches," Merlin protested, stopping in the middle of the eerily vacant hallway.

"I know," Leon replied cryptically. He walked towards the teacher's door, knocked firmly once with a "Mr. Gaius?"

A muffled answer was all Leon needed. He nodded towards Merlin and opened the door. Suppressing a sigh, Merlin followed him inside.

Mr. Gaius was, as always, sitting at his desk, pouring over various papers. Merlin was actually quite tempted to see what was so engrossing to the Chemistry teacher for him to be continually reading them.

"Problems with the homework, Leon?" Mr. Gaius asked, not even pausing to look up.

The Knight glanced sideways at the still bloody Merlin. "Not exactly… Merlin, ah, had a bit of a problem."

At hearing the boy's name, Mr. Gaius looked up quickly from his papers. "Merlin?" Spying the bruised and bloody boy, the teacher immediately dropped whatever he was doing and rushed over to the two. "What happened?"

"I fell."

"He had a disagreement with Arthur."

The boys shot simultaneous glares at each other. While Leon was telling the truth, Merlin had no desire to rat out the blonde football player, not fancying the consequences when Arthur found out it was he who narced on him.

Mr. Gaius looked quite confused at this moment. "Which one was it?"

"Sir…" Leon glanced pointedly at Merlin's frown and the deep purple and green bruise rising along his high cheekbone.

Mr. Gaius seemed to understand. "Yes, I suppose it doesn't matter that much, just as long as we get you fixed up. Go sit on one of the lab tables, Merlin."

Leon glanced at the door, itching to go as soon as he saw that Merlin was in capable hands. Mr. Gaius intercepted him on the way out. "Was it really Arthur?" he asked in a hushed tone.

The football player nodded once. "He's just really stressed out about everything. Especially Uther." When he noticed that Merlin was straining to hear, he lowered his voice even more.

"I understand. Just keep doing what you're doing and everything will be fine," he reassured the Knight. Mr. Gaius nodded. "You were right to bring Merlin here."

"I just figured you would be the best place to come to." Leon glanced to the side, studying a random poster hanging on the wall. "Y'know…because…"

"I know what you mean." Mr. Gaius thanked the boy again for bringing him Merlin, and let him leave with a reminder about the test on Monday. Smiling ruefully, and internally reminding himself to study, Leon waved to both the teacher and his patient as he disappeared through the door, closing it gently behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, Mr. Gaius was suddenly busy pulling down various bags and bandages from various cabinets throughout the classroom. Merlin watched from atop his perch on one of the slick lab benches. Every so often, the boy would swing his legs, straining the scuff the floor tiles with his toes. Mr. Gaius returned quickly to Merlin's sides, armed with a bottle of peroxide, a mysterious pair of gels, and a few bandages.

"Are you a doctor?"

Mr. Gaius looked up with a soft smile. "No, not at all."

Merlin tilted his head, frowning slightly. "Then how do you know how to do all of this?"

"You don't think Chemistry class is completely safe, do you?" Mr. Gaius forced a bright smile, but Merlin could tell there was something off in the old teacher's answer. However, for the moment, Merlin decided to drop the subject, instead trusting in his gut to let a non-doctor examine his sore face.

The man lifted weathered and worn fingers to Merlin's cheek, skimming the center of the stark bruise lightly. When Merlin winced, the teacher instantly drew his fingers back, apologizing quickly for hurting the boy. After a moment more of careful scrutiny, Mr. Gaius was ready to give his verdict.

"Luckily, you didn't break your nose…when you fell," his tone clearly showed that he didn't buy Merlin's cover-up attempt. "Although it'll be tender for a little bit, it should heal without any problems." The old teacher grabbed the peroxide, thoroughly soaking a napkin with the bubbling liquid, and then rubbed softly under the pale boy's nose. Merlin grimaced, but he didn't pull away from the slight sting. Next Mr. Gaius unscrewed the cap to the small tube of ointment, spreading it lightly across the aching bruise. Merlin winced at the contact, squeezing his eyes shut, which only led to his left, black eye smarting painfully.

_I suppose that should teach me for standing up to complete prats…_

Seeing that the boy was in pain, Mr. Gaius frowned, his wrinkles caving in ever so slightly. The old man slathered a layer of a second gel onto his face. Immediately the pain dissipated, Merlin all but groaning in relief.

"That's incredible," he enthused, feeling quite terrific. "What's in that?" He glanced over at the secretively smiling chemist. "Where did you learn how to do this?" he repeated. "You couldn't have learned it from _Chemistry_ class."

Mr. Gaius's face turned solemn as he finally decided to answer the boy's question. "I used to live in a bad place, Merlin. I had to learn these things."

Merlin swallowed once, almost regretting his question. He was about to ask about Arthur and this "Uther" person, but Mr. Gaius's somber mood kept him from breaking the silence again.

Mr. Gaius glanced at the clock behind him with a smile. "Believe it or not, but now would be the time when I would have released you from detention."

Merlin twisted his body so that he could see the time. The whole episode with the first "detention," the confrontation with Arthur, and the aftermath had felt like it had all occurred in the span of a few minutes; however, it had taken almost an hour and a half to all unfold.

"You've certainly had an interesting first day of school, haven't you, Merlin?" Mr. Gaius chuckled.

What else could Merlin do but nod?

* * *

**Was that the meeting you guys wanted? I dunno! Lemme know! xD Thanks!  
And... Ahhhh _Sirville _xD**


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